The Fifth Street coffee shop was the kind of place that stayed open because of its atmosphere instead of its quality. The exposed brick and mismatched furniture were meant to look eclectic, but they mostly just looked worn.
For the past week, Morgan had come here every afternoon and ordered the same overpriced espresso. He always sat at the same corner table, where he could watch the counter without being obvious about it.
David Chen worked the afternoon shift. Even though he was worn out, he moved quickly and efficiently.
Morgan had figured out his schedule by closely watching when he got there, when he took breaks, and when the rush died down enough for them to talk. It was Thursday, so the crowd after lunch had thinned out. There was a forty-minute window before the college students started coming in for their evening caffeine fix.
Morgan walked up to the counter with his empty cup at the right time, when there was no one else in line. Chen looked up from the espresso machine he was cleaning, and his customer service smile came on without him even trying.
"Another one?" he asked as he reached for the cup.
Morgan said, "If you don't mind," and then added, as if it had just come to him, "You know, you make the best espresso in this place."
"I've tried ordering from other staff, but it's never quite the same."
Morgan saw Chen's face change a little bit. He was surprised and happy to be recognized for something he did well.
It was a small compliment that could have been considered just being polite. People like Chen, who had repeatedly been told they were failures, clung to praise as if it were driftwood for drowning individuals.
"Thanks," Chen said, and his smile got a little more real. "Most people just want it quickly."
"It's nice to know that someone really sees the difference."
Morgan lied smoothly, "I worked in a coffee shop when I was in high school."
"Learned pretty quickly that there's a difference between making coffee and making it right. You really have a terrific technique."
Chen began to make the espresso with movements that were now a little more careful, as he wanted to live up to the praise he had just gotten. "Where did you work?"
"It's in the city. The owner retired last year, so it closed." Morgan leaned against the counter, which made it look like he had time to talk. "Have you been here long?"
"A few weeks. It's only for a little while until I know what I'm going to do next." Morgan could tell from the way Chen's voice automatically got defensive that he had to explain his current situation to people who were judging him for it a lot.
Morgan said, "Aren't we all?" in a light tone. "Things aren't going well in the world right now."
"It's difficult to make plans for the future when you don't know if there will be one."
Chen's face changed a little, and the walls came down a little as he realized he was talking to someone who understood the specific anxiety that had been bothering everyone since the outbreaks began. "Have you been reading the news?"
"It's hard not to. Every day there are more cases of transformation, and the government has no idea what's causing it."
"Experts disagree with each other every time they talk." Morgan took the finished espresso and noticed that Chen's hands had steadied while they talked. "My mother keeps acting like everything is fine, but you can tell she's scared. Everyone is."
"Yes." Chen finished cleaning the espresso machine, and as he got more comfortable with the conversation, he moved more slowly. "I've been going to this church, to be honest."
"Pastor has been talking about what's going on to help people understand it. You know, it's been helpful to have someone who isn't pretending that everything is fine but also isn't just saying that everything is awful."
Morgan had been waiting for this chance for Chen to bring up Murphy on his own so it wouldn't look like Morgan was responsible for the conversation. "Which church?"
"Saint Catherine's."
"It's a small place, but the pastor is really something. It makes you think that maybe all this chaos has a reason and that we're not just watching the world end for no reason." Chen's eyes lit up when he talked about Murphy. It was that kind of brightness that comes from finding something to believe in when you don't know where you're going.
Morgan said, "I might look into it."
"I've been searching for something like that. Somewhere that cares about what's going on instead of just giving empty comfort."
"You should. Services are on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, but to be honest, it's been so busy lately that you might want to get there early." Chen thought for a moment before saying, "There are also these small group things that are starting up."
"It's more personal, and it's easier to talk than just listen. If you want to come, I'm going to my first one tomorrow night."
Morgan acted like he was thinking about it, even though it was precisely what he'd been trying to do all week. "Yeah, maybe."
"Can I tell you tomorrow?"
"Of course. Most days I'm here until six." As a customer walked in, Chen looked at the door. The moment of connection was already fading as his work obligations came back to him. "Okay, I'll take this order, but thanks for noticing the espresso. It makes the job a little better."
Morgan nodded and went back to his table. He took out his laptop and pretended to work while really watching Chen talk to other customers. After their talk, the young man's body language changed a little.
He seemed a little more sure of himself in how he carried himself. Morgan had done something for him that Murphy hadn't yet by praising his skills instead of taking advantage of his weaknesses. It was a small crack in whatever Murphy was building, but with the right amount of pressure, it could get bigger.
Claire sent him a text that made his phone buzz. "I'm currently at the library." Found M. She helps out in the children's section. It looks just like you said it would. What now?"
Morgan typed back right away. "Just talk in a natural way. Ask for suggestions for books. Make her feel useful. Before anything else, get to know each other."
The answer came back almost right away. "Are you in it for the long haul?"
Morgan said, "Only game worth playing," then put his phone away and thought about the other reason he had chosen this coffee shop.
A woman in her thirties sat hunched over a laptop three tables away, typing so quickly that it looked like she was racing against a deadline. Morgan had seen her on his second day here, and he learned through careful eavesdropping that her name was Rachel Kim, and she was a freelance journalist who wrote about the transformation cases.
She did an impressive job, did a lot of research, and wasn't afraid to ask questions that made people feel awkward. "I can use her soon enough..."
"...probably."